1.1 About This Manual

This is the Reference Manual for the MySQL Database System,
version 5.7, through release 5.7.27.
Differences between minor versions of MySQL 5.7 are
noted in the present text with reference to release numbers
(5.7.x).

This manual is not intended for use with older versions of the
MySQL software due to the many functional and other differences
between MySQL 5.7 and previous versions. If you are
using an earlier release of the MySQL software, please refer to
the appropriate manual. For example,
MySQL 5.6 Reference Manual
covers the 5.6 series of MySQL software releases.

Because this manual serves as a reference, it does not provide
general instruction on SQL or relational database concepts. It
also does not teach you how to use your operating system or
command-line interpreter.

The MySQL Database Software is under constant development, and the
Reference Manual is updated frequently as well. The most recent
version of the manual is available online in searchable form at
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/. Other formats also are available
there, including HTML, PDF, and EPUB versions.

The Reference Manual source files are written in DocBook XML
format. The HTML version and other formats are produced
automatically, primarily using the DocBook XSL stylesheets. For
information about DocBook, see http://docbook.org/

This manual was originally written by David Axmark and Michael
“Monty” Widenius. It is maintained by the MySQL
Documentation Team, consisting of Chris Cole, Paul DuBois,
Margaret Fisher, Edward Gilmore, Stefan Hinz, David Moss, Philip
Olson, Daniel Price, Daniel So, and Jon Stephens.